The present invention relates to an anti-arteriosclerotic food containing a proanthocyanidin and an isoflavone.
Cardiovascular diseases attributed to arteriosclerosis, such as ischemic cardiopathy and cerebral infarct, have given rise to a serious social problem on account of their high death rates in Europe and America. Japan has also been suffering a steep increase of cardiovascular diseases caused by arteriosclerosis with westernization of diet. For the time being, drug treatment of the arteriosclerotic cardiovascular diseases has a limit, and prevention by food-derived components, especially antioxidant substances is considered important. Various antioxidants of food origin, for example vitamin C and vitamin E have been studied to date from the standpoint of prevention of arteriosclerosis but have not yet attained sufficient prophylactic effects.
Prevention of arteriosclerosis by flavonoids has been attracting attention and been under study. In particular, proanthocyanidins were found to have an inhibitory effect on arteriosclerosis equally to probucol, an antihyperlipemic. However, since there is a limit of absorption of proanthocyanidins from the intestinal canal, the effects obtained from proanthocyanidins, even if ingested in a large quantity, are limited (see Jun Yamakoshi, et al., Atherosclerosis, vol. 142, pp. 139-149 (1999)). Isoflavones, on the other hand, exhibit dose-dependent effects when ingested alone but fail to produce a sufficient effect unless taken in a large amount.